To Go Back
by LiveLaughGlee
Summary: "But she messed up and there wasn't a bone in her body that didn't wish she could go back in time and change the past. Change her answer. Change the future." Ryley One-Shot


**March 26, 2023**

"Marley, I've known you for so long and although we didn't start out romantically, I just want to say that knowing you all these years has been the highlight of my life. Every second I get to spend with you, I just want to rewind and live it again. You take my breath away. You bring light into my life. You make me a better person and I can't thank you enough for that."

He couldn't possibly be doing what she thought he was doing. There was no way. But then why was he down on one knee? Why was he professing his love for her in front of all these people? Uncomfortable, she smiled politely and glanced to the side. Jake was standing there with a concerned look in his eyes, as if he could feel the tension in her head.

Why was she so scared?

"I guess what I'm trying to say is," Ryder reached into his jacket pocket and pulled a tiny box out. Marley quickly felt the breath leaving her lungs. There was the box. This was the moment. He was the guy. "Will you marry me?"

"No."

**March 26, 2028**

_Marley Rose clung to the bottom of her dress as she snuck around trying desperately not to be seen. Normally, her heart wouldn't be racing as much considering that her nickname had always been 'wallflower' due to her ability to remain unnoticed by practically everyone. This was different, though. The stakes were a lot higher than they had ever been before. It was practically a situation of life or death. _

_Rolling her eyes at her dramatic thoughts, she pushed through another door, hoping and praying that it would grant her entrance into his room. She had to convince him to turn around; to do the 'wrong' thing for once. Her hopes were crushed, however, when she was once again met with an empty room. Her hair was sticking to the small drops of sweat that had begun to gather on her forehead. _

_She heard the rapid approach of heels, so she ducked into the room and shut the door quietly behind her. There was a large mirror with a stage in front of it, one a girl would stand on while wearing a dress so she could see herself entirely. Rolling her eyes, she began looking around, only to be confronted of pictures with him and her. It wasn't a lie to say they were adorable, but Marley knew that if she were with them, they could be even cuter. _

_The sound of the knob turning made Marley frantically turn so she was facing it. Someone was trying to get in. Hurriedly, Marley raced to the other side of the room and threw herself into a room, hiding herself behind a tall plastic bag that was hanging on a rack of some sort. Great, she was in a stuffy closet. She hadn't shut the door completely behind her but whoever it was that was trying to get into the room was now walking around it so she couldn't. _

"_Where is my-?" Marley recognized the voice immediately even though it was just above a whisper. She rolled her eyes and leaned her head against the back wall of the closet. "UNIQUE!" _

_Marley cringed as Kitty's piercing voice filled the room- or rather the entire building. The girl always had a way of making sure she was heard and her demands were met. Marley heard the door open once more and she suspected it was Unique entering this time. "Yes, your majesty?" Unique's voice was bitter, resentful, and ultimately stressed out. Marley wasn't used to hearing a less than chipper tone from her best friend. _

"_Cute." Kitty mused, her tone sarcastic, but that was normal. "Where is my hair brush?" _

_Marley rolled her eyes and chose to sit on the floor as she waited for the scene outside to commence. She wasn't sure because she couldn't see anything, but she was sure the brush was most likely somewhere on the desk but Kitty was just too lazy to actually look for it. As suspected, Unique muttered, "Have you checked the drawer labeled 'hair'?" _

_Kitty sighed dramatically and Marley, once again, rolled her eyes. She feared that if she rolled them again, they'd end up popping. Still, she rolled them once more when she heard Kitty order, "Just grab it for me." _

_Unique wasn't the person to follow orders but Marley didn't hear her objecting. For weeks now, Marley had watched Unique complain about Kitty and brag about how she was going to put the blonde in her place, but still, Unique wasn't the type to ruin someone's big day. _

_The room quieted and Marley tried her best to make as little noise as possible. "What time is it?" Kitty asked suddenly and Marley heard the sound of a chair hitting the floor. "I have to get my dress on!" _

_Unique's sigh was barely audible but it was enough to make the blonde scoff loudly. "Well, it's in the close." Unique muttered and Marley's eyes widened. _

"_Grab it for me then." Kitty commanded and Kitty let out a sigh of relief. _

_But Unique scoffed and Marley's heart dropped. "You have legs, use them." Figures Unique would choose now to argue with the blonde diva. Marley held her breath and scrunched into the tiniest ball she could manage, which wasn't very small considering her lengthy build. She anticipated a slap to the face when Kitty found her, but luckily the blonde wasn't finished arguing. _

"_This is my big day. Get off your lazy ass and get me my dress!" Marley fought the urge to gasp as she covered her mouth with her hand. Unfortunately, this got Unique off of her seat and she opened the door. _

_Gasping, Unique put her hand to her mouth and gave Marley a questioning look. Marley shrugged with wide eyes, silently begging Unique for help. Suddenly, the door opened farther and Kitty came into view. Marley ducked behind the dress and Unique fought the blonde back so she could shut the door slightly. _

"_What the hell?" Kitty gasped. _

_Unique sighed and Marley wondered what she'd say. Being the blonde's maid of honor could have made the two reconcile as a new bond was formed. Maybe Unique would rat her and feed her to the wolves. "I just- your dress is so beautiful. I wish I could wear it." _

_Kitty scoffed and Marley imagined her shaking her head as she retreated to the other side of the room. "You may think you're a girl, but there's still something hanging between your legs. You'll be lucky if they legalize marriage for your kind, let alone have someone fall in love with you." Marley rolled her eyes and rested her head against the wall again as she bit her tongue. She wanted to lash out at the blonde and point out her obvious ignorant ways, but that'd only cause the plan to fail and that couldn't happen. "Besides, you'd be lucky if you fit in it." _

_The door opened again and Unique grabbed the dress, sending Marley a confused smile before shutting the door completely behind her. Marley wanted to sigh but she feared she'd be heard so she kept her mouth shut and tried to focus on anything but the fact that she was alone in a dark closet. _

_Her thoughts wandered back to him as she imagined him in his own dressing room with his tux on staring at himself in the mirror with his nose stuck up. He hated to feel like he was suffocating, and that's how he felt when he was dressed up. But he'd do anything for the one he loved, or thought he loved. Marley knew because at one point, it had been for her. _

_She wasn't sure why the ended things now as she looked back on it. Everything was going great, perfect even. Maybe that's why she got cold feet; because she had seen perfect come crashing down before and she didn't want their relationship to end abruptly, even though that's what had happened anyway. However, the decision to end things with him was one of the worst she'd ever made, right behind the choice to listen to Kitty in high school when she had called her fat. _

_It seemed silly, so immature to have thought in order to keep her from becoming heart broken, she had broken the hearts of both her and him. That didn't matter now, though. What mattered was the fact he was about to marry someone he thought he loved; the same girl who had cheated on him with four different guys since they got engaged a few months ago. _

_The door opened abruptly and Marley gasped before a sigh of relief emitted from her lips as Unique came into view. The relief only lasted so long before Unique reached down and yanked her arm, pulling her out of the closet. "What is the hell are you doing hiding in the closet?" _

"_I uh- Well, I snuck in." Marley admitted sheepishly, grinning slightly as she scratched her arm uncomfortably. She wouldn't have had to sneak in if Kitty didn't allow her stubbornness to control her life. Marley hadn't even been invited. _

"_And the reason for that is…?" Unique prompted, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows. Marley could only grin childishly in response, unable to form words to justify her recent behavior. Unique's eyes suddenly widened and a smile spread across her face. "You're fighting for him?!" _

"_No!" Marley screamed, before Unique covered her mouth. After agreeing to quiet down, Marley was released. "I'm just- I'm just giving him an option…" _

"_And so then why are you in here?" Unique asked, looking around the room for a few seconds. "Were you going to poison her or something?"_

"_What? No. I just… I got lost." Marley trailed off as she heard someone approaching the door. Before she could even move, the door was being swung open and a guy in a tuxedo emerged. _

_He looked over Unique once before his eyes trailed over to Marley's frame. They widened as he shut the door rapidly behind him. "What in the hell are you doing here?" _

_By force of habit, she put her hand to her head and started running her fingers through her hair. He had always made her nervous which is partially why she had fallen in love with him in the first place and now was no different. "I uh… well I…" _

"_She's crashing the wedding." Unique explained easily, a wicked smile taking over her features. Marley gasped and shot her best friend a look that could kill. _

_Jake laughed uncomfortably trying to see the joke in everything, but the other two weren't laughing with him. "You're serious?" He asked after a few seconds, sighing when he saw both of them nod their head. "Great…." _

"_Ryder deserves better than Kitty and you know that." Unique tried. Defending Marley had always been something Unique was good at. _

"_I know that." Jake chuckled as he shook his head. "But I also know that Kitty is going to go insane when he chooses you." _

_Marley shook her head. "We don't know he'll choose me. I just, I want to make sure that I've done and said everything I could." _

"_I don't think you understand." Jake muttered, stepping closer to Marley with a condescending look on his face. "Kitty will kill me if she finds out about you being here let alone somewhere talking to Ryder." _

_Marley sighed. "Will you help me or what?" _

"_You're just going to mess with his head. Don't you see that?" Jake asked as he stepped backwards towards the door. "You had your chance with him and you said no. Kitty, though, Kitty said yes." _

"_Kitty is also a bitch." Marley retorted, her face now somewhat flushed from being put on the defensive. For two years now, she's sat on the sidelines watching him fall for her manipulative ways. She made him give up everything to be with her. He didn't sing anymore. He didn't act. He didn't play football. He became the victim of whatever the queen bitch wanted. "And whether he chooses me or not, he deserves better than that selfish monster that's out there bossing everyone and their mothers around." _

_Jake raised his eyebrows, shocked with her confidence. That had always been a problem with her in high school and he tried to help as best he could to convince her of that, but Ryder was the only one she ever really heard. "I'll take you to his room." _

_Marley's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?" _

"_Actually," Unique interrupted, and the other two whipped their heads towards her. "The ceremony is starting in less than five minutes." _

_Marley clapped her hands and started jumping up and down. It looked to Jake that she was on the football team and was preparing herself for a big play. "Alright, alright. We can do this. All we have to do is-."_

_Jake sighed and put his hand to his head. "Maybe you should just cut your losses and move on. He has." As the words left his mouth and he looked over at the two girls in front of him, he realized he should have kept his mouth shut. Marley looked on the verge of tears and Unique looked ready to kill him. "I'm just saying that he proposed. You don't propose to somebody if you aren't thinking of a future with them, you know?" _

_Marley shook her head to get his words out. That wasn't true. He proposed because he was cornered. She wasn't right for him. Although, it had never occurred to her that maybe he was getting something out of the relationship as well. She didn't even think of it as a possibility. And she wouldn't. Licking her lips, she puffed out her chest and stood her ground. "She's not right for him." _

"_And you are?" He challenged softly with a sympathetic smile on his face as she nodded. "Then why did you break his heart? Look, I love you Marls and so does he, or he did, whatever. But I can't watch you destroy him again when you guys get close. You want him now because you can't have him and once he breaks up with Kitty and crawls back to you, you're going to reject him again. He's my best friend." _

"_I'm not going to do that!" She argued, exhausted by the boy's stubbornness. She was about to call him names and demand to be taken to where the groom would be waiting but a piano started playing from somewhere in the church. Putting her hand to her forehead, Marley groaned. "You've got to be kidding me!"_

"_Unique!" A shrill voice called and Unique sighed as well. _

"_I'm sorry sweetie. We tried, right?" Unique patted her best friend's shoulder and carefully made her way to the locked door. "Maybe this is for the best." _

_Jake shrugged as well and left the room with Unique. As the door shut, Marley's eyes welled with tears and the voice of Kitty could still be heard screaming at the two friends through the walls. What was she going to do now? Ryder was marrying someone that clearly wasn't meant for him and it was all her fault. Was she being selfish, though, as Jake had suggested? She didn't think so. In fact, she was pretty sure she was being completely selfless. _

_With a sigh, Marley whined to herself before leaving the room quietly. Although there wasn't much more she could do, she still didn't want to be seen by anyone who may recognize her as someone who had the opportunity to join the groom's side of the family. As she was nearing the exit, she turned to look through a little window. She could see him standing there with a small smile on his face, looking into the eyes of Marley's enemy. _

_Wiping a stray tear, she noticed just as happy he looked. With Kitty? Probably not, Marley justified. Who would want to marry a bitch like Kitty? But looking at him standing there holding her hands, made Marley realize just how happy he truly was. His eyes were sparkling in a way that they never had with her. _

_She should have said yes. _

_She could have made those eyes sparkle. _

_She could have made him happy. _

_She could have. _

_But she didn't. _

_Bending over, she let out a sob. She wasn't sure how loud it was or how many people heard her, but she didn't care. She lost him and all just because she was too afraid at the time to accept his offer. He was amazing. He was good. He loved her and she loved him. She would have loved to spend the rest of her life with him, however long that turned out to be. _

_But she messed up and there wasn't a bone in her body that didn't wish she could go back in time and change the past. Change her answer. Change the future._

_Not a bone… _

_Change… _

**March 26, 2023**

"No." She heard herself say and instantly she covered her mouth with her hand. People around her gasped and she could see Jake form the corner of her eye hanging his head in shame. What was she saying no to? What happened to the church? Why in the hell was Ryder kneeling in front of her? "I uh… I mean… ask me again."

"Ask you ag-?" He started to ask but decided against it as he shook his head. "Is this a joke?" He whispered up at her.

She let out a shaky breath and shook her head as she motioned for him to start talking again. "No, I just… I need you to ask me again. Please, ask me again."

He looked over her carefully, debating whether popping the question for a second time would have a different consequence than the first time. Slowly, he licked his lips and smiled small, afraid to show any emotion beyond that. "Will you marry me?"

Marley looked around the room at all of the people waiting for her to respond. They looked more nervous this time around and Marley couldn't blame them. Quickly, she looked back at the boy in front of her whose eyes were shining like a child's on Christmas and smiled.

"Of course." She breathed out quietly and he quickly stood to give her a hug and at that moment she vowed never to let him go.

**X X X **

**It's One-Shot Week up in here because I missed Ryley week! Yay! There will be a one-shot every day until Christmas and I'll also probably update Carry On and Until I'm Broken in this time too. **

**So this is a story that has literally been almost done for months and I just never got around to finishing it, but here you go. It kinda took a different turn than I was expecting and I'm not sure if I'm happy about it or not, but here you go. Did you like it? Did you get what happened? I'm pretty sure I didn't explain it well so here you go: Basically, Marley said no to Ryder's proposal at first and then five years later she crashed the Kyder wedding only to end up back in time to the original proposal where she changed her answer and said yes. Oh and it all takes place on March 26 because that's the first date that popped into my head so there you go. **

**It's confusing. I probably could've written it a lot better but my laptop is running out of battery and I don't' want to get up and find the charger so I'm sorry but you're going to have to deal with it. :) **

**Love you guys!**

**Happy Holidays!**

**Love, Kaylie**

**Tumblr: **bemyryder

**Twitter: **bemyryder

**Enjoy your holiday breaks if you're on them! **


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